[WhiskeyOutpost]

- Russia has been building trenches in Crimea. Yes.... Crimea. First two photos is Armiansk, the last two is the Chonhar checkpoint.

Crucial for entry into Crimea.

[Rfneimad]

[WonderMomma]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyOutpost ↗

- Russia has been building trenches in Crimea. Yes.... Crimea. First two photos is Armiansk, the last two is the Chonhar checkpoint.

Crucial for entry into Crimea.

I've been seeing this stuff too.

Something doesn't feel right with me with this "retreat" from Kherson... and the fortifications being made on the right bank south of Kherson, in Crimea, and Mariupol. Can't put my finger on it. lol

I'm hoping that UA is able to just gradually drive the Russian's out of these territories and that Russia is not actually planning something drastic.


EDIT: added photos and post quotes related to this:

1
The statement of the Russian command may be part of an informational and psychological operation to create a false impression of the true intentions, Natalya Humenyuk, head of the press center of the Southern Defense Forces, said about the situation around Kherson.

According to her, the Russians have created defense lines near Kherson, and regular Russian troops are on the ground and are ready to defend.

2.
The decision to withdraw Russian troops in the Kherson region to the left bank of the Dnieper has become difficult, but true, - Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov.

"Having weighed all the pros and cons, the commander of the Russian group in the area of ​​the special military operation, General Surovikin, made a difficult but right choice between senseless sacrifices for the sake of loud statements and saving the priceless lives of soldiers. So there is no need to talk about the "surrender" of Kherson. "Surrender" together with the fighters. And Surovikin protects the soldier and takes a more advantageous strategic position - convenient, safe," Kadyrov said.


** Unexpectedly flattering comments about Surovikin's decision to retreat sharply contrast with Kadyrov's words regarding the same Russian General Lapin, which, in addition to Don's personal sympathies, may also indicate a deliberate information campaign undertaken to draw the Armed Forces of Ukraine into the abandoned territory in order to use pre-planned military operations by the troops of the Russian Federation.

This version is also supported by a certain dissonance of this statement with the always bellicose statements of the Chechen king Tik-tok, who has already taken command of the entire operation dozens of times in his appeals, forbidding the soldiers of the Russian army to surrender and leave the previously occupied Ukrainian territories.

[WonderMomma]

Famous Russian Milblogger/ Military Analysts Write (Rybar on Telegram)

By the facts.

1. From a military point of view, this is the most serious purely military defeat of the Russian Federation since 1991. In our case, this is already the 3rd serious military defeat after Balakleya and Krasny Liman. There are a number of issues related to the safety of the Kakhovskaya HPP after the withdrawal, the future of the Antonovsky Bridge and the North Crimean Canal, the evacuation of military equipment to the left bank, etc. etc.

2. The described reasons for the withdrawal of troops to the left bank are the result of problems that have taken place since the beginning of summer and, for various reasons, have not been eliminated. They stem from the failure to capture Nikolaev at the very beginning of the SMO, when the city was in a semi-encirclement, but due to various mistakes it was never taken.

3. Now the stake is obviously being placed on increasing the total strength of the grouping and releasing part of the forces operating on the right bank in the interests of offensive operations, which can be expected in late November-early December. If any operational successes are achieved there, of course, they will justify the withdrawal from Kherson. But it is worth remembering that not only we "release" troops from the right bank, but also the enemy.

4. It is obvious that the surrender of the regional center of the Russian Federation will have tangible consequences for the public consciousness and the enemy will certainly use it. In the absence of foreseeable success with the occupation of large settlements and advancement during the winter offensive, a series of military failures will accumulate much more serious internal discontent than sanctions.

5. Of course, there is also a version about some kind of agreement with the Americans "ala Minsk-3", but so far there are no concrete actions on the part of the United States that would indicate this. So far, there are much more prerequisites for the continuation of intense hostilities.

6. Any offensive actions in the direction of Odessa and Nikolaev in the foreseeable future can be forgotten at this stage.

7. The SMO obviously continues, there is no refusal from the stated goals of the SMO. Looking forward to the winter season.

All in all, a gloomy day. It has to be experienced. The scar on the heart will remain.

[SinisterNm]

-Ukr,

[WhiskeyOutpost]

A lot of Russian Telegram channels are currently on fire or outright not mentioning Kherson at all.... and then Russians in the comments are asking why no news on Kherson

[WonderMomma]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyOutpost ↗

A lot of Russian Telegram channels are currently on fire or outright not mentioning Kherson at all.... and then Russians in the comments are asking why no news on Kherson

"What Kherson doing?"


OH I should create a gif/meme.


EDIT: ^^^^

[WonderMomma]

Exert from Zelenskyy's daily address for today...
==============
There is a lot of joy in the media space today, and it is clear why. But our emotions must be restrained – always during war.

I will definitely not feed the enemy with all the details of our operations, either in the south, or in the east, or anywhere else. When we have our result, everyone will see it. For sure.

Maybe it doesn't sound like what anyone expects now. Maybe not as in the news.
But you need to understand: no one just gets away if they don't feel the strength. The enemy does not bring us gifts, does not make "gestures of goodwill." We fight our way up.
And when you are fighting, you must understand that every step is always resistance from the enemy, it is always the loss of the lives of our heroes.

Therefore, we move very carefully, without emotions, without unnecessary risk. In the interests of the liberation of our entire land and so that the losses are as small as possible.
This is how we will secure the liberation of Kherson, Kakhovka, Donetsk, and other our cities.

But this will be the result of our efforts, our defense operations, those that are currently ongoing, those that we are planning.

[WonderMomma]

More inside info from Mariupol

1-2.
The morning of a gas station in Mariupol. Mass convoys of refuelers marked "V" are moving through the city in the direction of Novoazovsk. After refueling.
In addition, the alternate movement of equipment (manpower with small artillery) is recorded also in the direction of the Left Bank district. Perhaps this is due to the strengthening of defensive fortifications outside the city from the north in the area of the village. Sartana

3.
"--Besides understandable and predictable humanitarian and infrastructural problems, Mariupol began to grapple with quite specific ones. In particular, the consequences of sanctions and lack of logistics.
-- automobile spare parts. Again, as in Soviet times, the owners of "Zhiguli" and "Volga" are happy. Any small thing on a car of foreign production is not available. The situation is worsened by the fact that marauders in law under the leadership of the Gauleiter's son Ivashchenko mass-export all abandoned (read stolen) cars of foreign brands to Russia, where they sell them for spare parts.
-- outdated register of authorities from BTI data, conditionally relevant for 2014. People are denied hope for compensation for lost housing and warrants for new apartments due to the remoteness of data on property acquired after 2014. Or - on the contrary. About the presence in the registers of a bid for ownership of more than one dwelling. Despite the fact that nothing corresponds to reality - it is impossible to prove the opposite. There are even the first examples when families who received a warrant from the occupants' new building canceled this warrant because they found another registered property. The fact that the other one was sold in 2018 does not concern anyone - there is no data in the registers of occupants.
Far from complete, but a very bright list. Which demonstrates that despite the statement that "life is being restored", in fact there is a systemic socio-economic degradation of the city. It was simply thrown into the late period of the Soviet Union. As some dreamed."

4.
The Mariupol-Novoazovsk track has its own atmosphere. Due to the stopped connection via the Crimean bridge - all logistics are through Mariupol. Estimate the number of trucks. Mostly these are cargoes not for Mariupol or Donetsk. Including Crimea is like that now.
An important fact. Part of the "dragon's teeth" fortifications are being pulled from Rostov-on-Don, as the power of Mariupol is not enough. As part of the "civilian" trucks, Russian transports military equipment and BC. And a lot of firewood and logs. For heating and trenches.
What is it about (a little about dreams and pragmatically about reality). The return of control over Mariupol, subject to the destruction of the Crimean Bridge, transforms the so-called Crimea from a peninsula to an island. This is the right time to mention the analysts of Ben Hodges….

[WonderMomma]

It's soooo cute!

"A light British reconnaissance vehicle Ferret mk 1 with a mount for an MG 42 machine gun installed on it, in service with one of the units of the Armed Forces"